Muppets fans get ready. A couple weeks ago the soundtrack to the new highly anticipated Muppet movie was released. Amazing indie rock acts takes on Muppet classics. I love the muppets more than sunshine to the point where it is extremely awkward when people come into my office and see my collection of Muppet shit, but guess what? I don’t care. Muppets are cooler than skinny jeans and flannel. Before I get into the artists and the record itself I wanna kick it off with a Muppet classic we all know and love done a little bit differently… ok, go.

This soundtrack features 12 tracks from folks like the aforementioned OK Go to the sweet solo sounds of Andrew Bird and Rachel Yamagata and pretty much everyone in between. These new takes on old classics are re-energizing my childhood dreams of becoming Animal when I grow up.

As you can see from OK Go’s take on The Muppet Show Theme Song people are doing things a little differently on this record. One of my favorite songs is Rainbow Connection. Done by Weezer and Hayley Williams of Paramore fame. They take a more straight forward approach to the tune and thats not a bad thing at all.

Other great artists include My Morning Jacket with “Our World” and Alkaline Trio with “Movin’ Right Along”. Both are hugely successful acts who have come up through the indie and jam scenes. Another great standout is LA’s own Airborne Toxic Event with an awesome take on “Wishing Song.”

As a compilation this record is a gem and as a compilation involving the new Muppets movie it’s even better. We all know and love these songs and we all know and love the artists covering these tunes. Here’s a full track list just incase your gonna be “that guy” and not just go out and buy the record based on the awesome tracks you’ve already heard.

There is a great balance between the full band blowouts and the small gentle solo acts on this compilation. Songs to note aside from what I mentioned above are “I Hope That Something Better Comes Along” by Matt Nathanson and The Fray with the popular “Mahna Mahna”. To end this thing properly I have to post the latter of those two tracks and then as usual with all my blogs, the last track on The Green Album.

Where can you find ten of the best singer/songwriters from Tennessee in one place to play a concert together? Nashville’s own free concert series: Live on the Green!

Ten Out of Tenn is more than a band comprised of ten of Nashville’s best singer/songwriters. It represents a community of friends and artists that make up one of the best emerging artist scenes in the country. When most people think of Nashville, they think about pop country and honky tonks, but Music City has much more to offer the current music industry. That is part of the reason why Ten out of Tenn came to exist. The band showcases the raw talent in a group of friends that “create organic pop music in the shadows of today’s slick commercial country music industry.” They travel together as a band supporting each other, and as a sum of creative talent on stage, showcasing some of the best and brightest songs and songwriters that Nashville has to offer. Ten Out of Tenn features Katie Herzig, Andy Davis, Tyler James, Trent Dabbs, K.S. Rhoads, Griffin House, Matthew Perryman Jones, Butterfly Boucher, Jeremy Lister and Erin McCarley. Will Sayles is the group’s talented drummer. Check out these clips from some of my favorite new songs!

The idea to form this singer-songwriter supergroup was born while Kristen and Trent Dabbs were on the road. They recognized that some of their favorite music came from their friends who were also emerging artists. “We were thinking about how much music we like that happens to be our friends,” said Trent. “There’s a community of people here with a lot of talent.” That idea turned into a perfect reality when they were able to get a group of other incredibly talented artists to join them. Since then, “Ten Out of Tenn has produced compilation albums, a Christmas album, four tours, showcases at music festivals like SXSW, and an award winning documentary, Any Day Now, that debuted during the 2009 Nashville Film Festival.” The documentary fully illustrates the concept and the purpose behind Ten Out of Tenn, and gives an excellent view of what it means for the individual artists that are part of this team. Check out the trailer for Any Day Now, filmed by Jeff Wyatt Wilson.

Ever go to a concert and can’t wait until the band plays their best songs? Well imagine hearing 20 excellent songs in a row from some of the best singer/songwriters in Nashville. These talented artists and musicians don’t just stand around while one plays their song. They are also the backing band for each other, and it creates such an amazing vibe. As individual artists, these singer/songwriters have “released over thirty albums, had song placements in countless television programs & films, and shared the stage with musicians such as REM, Sarah McLachlan and John Mayer.” However for Ten Out of Tenn, fame or fortune isn’t a priority. The drive behind their purpose surrounds the age-old concept of creating and sharing their music with other people. The bottom line is that this group is amazing. Unfortunately, Ten Out of Tenn has only two more stops on their tour! Stay up to date with the latest music and tour dates from Ten Out of Tenn and learn more at 10outoftenn.com.

It’s gotta be a good night when your band gets to open up for Robert Randolf and the Family Band. That was the case last Thursday night for Moon Taxi when they played at Live on the Green in Nashville, TN. As a new listener and one of many people there to see the best pedal steel player in the world, I couldn’t help taking an immediate interest to Moon Taxi. This is a phenomenal rock band with an incredible musician on every instrument, and they can’t help it that they play awesome music. If you like Music Without Labels, check out this “music without borders” that is Moon Taxi. Here’s a live video of Moon Taxi opening up for Matisyahu at the Fillmore two years ago.

This video was shot just months after the release of Moon Taxi’s Live album called Live Ride that they recorded in their hometown of Nashville, TN. Dirty bass lines, tight drum grooves, killer guitar riffs, and slick organ sounds seem to provide the perfect foundation for great vocals and memorable lyrics. Moon Taxi’s sound has since developed with a couple years of touring, and they are sounding better than ever. Their feel reminded me of Rush with their synced riffs and occasional odd meter grooves, but they have made those concepts their own. Their music somehow combines qualities of many different bands and artists. However, Moon Taxi is their own element, and have completely developed their own incredible distinct sound. Here’s a video of Moon Taxi playing one of their songs called All the Rage.

Moon Taxi toured last year with Matisyahu, which has opened up bigger opportunities for the band and their music. They have also opened for acts such as Umphrey’s Mcgee, Gov’t Mule, the New Mastersounds, and DJ Logic. Moon Taxi has played at a number of music festivals including the 10,000 Lakes Festival, Moe’s Summer Camp, Birmingham’s City Stages, the Terrapin Hill Harvest Festival, and Huntsville’s Big Spring Jam. Moon Taxi will be playing Southern Ground Music Fest with Zac Brown Band and My Morning Jacket in Charleston, SC next month as part of their nationwide headlining tour!

Their show on Thursday was awesome, and I got way more than what I expected. Moon Taxi is a modern-day version of the classic jam band, which is why they are such a great band to see live. They have combined valuable musical assets of their influences and created something fresh. This is why they have been described as a band interested in “music without borders.” Their music is undoubtedly progressive, but they stay true to their musical niche. But wait! There’s more! Moon Taxi is getting ready to release new music, so check out this video and listen to this sick new track called “Cabaret” from their new album.

To stay up to date on new music and tour dates from Moon Taxi, check out their website ridethemoontaxi.com.

Alright, “I want to lay-down 96 flash-drives flat in the shape of a canvas, so you can paint a portrait over top of them.” Now this was obviously something new and different for any painter, but a creative way to bring the parallel minds of artists together through multitudes of expression. So we set out in search of an artist in the San Diego area that would fit the job, and I could have never imagined who was about to respond to our postings. One of San Diego’s premier painters, SHAY DAVIS!!! (http://shayvision.com). When we first got a look at some of his work, we were just absolutely blown away. There was no way in hell that someone this talented, the modern-day Dali, was going to work for this project or even fit into the budget for that matter. It couldn’t have been a better match. Luckily having most of the Beat-Play Team in town, Shay was able to meet the whole company and right away felt that he was a sure-fit into the lifestyle of Beat-Play, knowing the hardships and reality of being an independent artist today.

After that first meeting we got right to work. Shay’s mission was to give people his visual representation of the current struggles seen in independent music community. Being in a similar situation as his own, through the art world, Shay was quickly able to jump into this vision. Now you have a plan, but then you’re going to need some supplies. So here’s what we used:

Once all the supplies were gathered, Shane Suski (film/photography) and I rolled over to Shay’s studio and started setting up. Having one camera sit-still on the tri-pod and Shane pan the room with his SLR, we were really able to capture the full painting process that went into creating this piece from all possible angles, using video and photography. I suggest going full-screen with this one:

The video came out great but nothing makes a video better than some bangin’ music. So we hit Tomatofish up for some more information regarding the use of his Simulacrum track on the video. He was all for it and that’s what you hear now. Tomatofish is one of a kind, compose all sorts of tracks ranging from hip-hop beats to classical pieces. This is just another pure talent that makes this project so great.

With the launch of Beatplay.com and our Facebook application we would like to spread the love to the public by giving back to the users of Beat-Play, by offering the flash-drives from the painting. The contest is simple. Mention Beatplay.com on your Facebook or Twitter feeds and become eligible to receive ONE of the 96 flash-drives. There aren’t too many drives to go around so make sure your post stands-out.

I keep finding myself at punk rock shows in Nashville, but that’s not a bad thing. Nashville’s punk scene has grown tremendously over the last four to five years and is now thriving. This particular show at The End was packed with a younger crowd ready to rock, and I don’t think the bartender sold less than a hundred PBRs… per hour. With a lineup of underground Nashville bands Watusi, Spanish Candles, Evan P. Donohue, and Diarrhea Planet, this show was set up to be a wild night. All the bands that night put on killer shows, but I was particularly interested in hearing music from Evan P. Donohue and his band.

Evan P. Donohue is a local independent Nashville songwriter and artist who has set himself apart from the typical rock bands in Music City. He writes intelligently through stories about semi-fictional characters and experiences from his life. With his drummer Mike Kavouras, Donohue arranges and develops music that that creatively supports and nourishes the lyrics and stories in his songs. There aren’t too many young indie rock bands with this combination of musical excellence and purpose behind clever ideas and words. Evan P. Donohue continues to push his music to new heights, and released a full-length debut album last year called Rhythm & Amplitute to do just that. Check out one of my favorite songs from the album, “O Justice!”

The entire album cannot be confined to just one specific genre because I find a complex combination of feels in the music that associate with past and contemporary rock, pop, surf-rock, and Americana artists. This rings true, since some of Donohue’s influences are T.Rex, Elvis Costello, Of Montreal, Beach Boys, Tom Waits, and David Rawlings. Rhythm & Amplitude plays with a variety of musical styles, and the songs are a collection of reality-turned fiction stories that blend while maintaining truth as their foundation. Evan P. Donohue’s bio states, “Masterfully crafting sardonic portraits of decidedly earnest characters, Evan P. Donohue poetically chooses his words to express the struggles and affections his often tragic characters experience by the choices they’ve faced in life. The surf-rock ballad “California Sunshine” speaks of a middle-aged man who rebels against the monotony of his life, eventually finding peace and happiness “sleeping under Starlight”, a prostitute employed at the Mexican brothel where the track gets its title.” I really couldn’t have said it better myself! Check out some more music from Evan P. Donohue’s Rhythm & Amplitude:

Whether it’s taking old stories and making them new or creating new truths with current realities, Donohue has something undeniably great. His music tells tales, embraces ideas, and develops new songs that go far beyond today’s pop hits. Nashville seems like an excellent fit for this up-and-coming artist who is set to debut more recordings this fall. On November 11, 2011, Evan P. Donohue will be releasing a 7-inch called Jazzputin. The record will contain two new songs that I, and every single one of his fans are very excited about. Listen to more music, stay up to date with Evan P. Donohue, and buy an Rhythm & Amplitude!

FREE DOWNLOADS

BLOG ROLL

WHAT’S THE WORD?!?

Our blog is dedicated to providing the public with quality music from the independent music community, and to inform people of the broad majority of musicians world-wide with amazing sound, style, inspiration, and overall message. If you would like to have any track removed please email us – info@musicwithoutlabels.com